Global pop-phenom Billie Eilish has fast become one of the biggest stars to emerge since the release of her debut single “ocean eyes.” The 17-year-old breakthrough music star, who continues to shatter the ceiling of music, has emerged as a symbol of freedom and the singular voice of a new generation. So it doesn’t come as a surprise she’s been tapped by MCM, a luxury lifestyle goods and accessories brand that always has an eye on the disruptive, to be the face in its global autumn/winter 2019 campaign, alongside rapper Childish Major.
In the campaign, the first involving Dirk Schönberger, MCM's new global Creative Director, photographer Lea Colombo, also one of fashion’s millennial insurgents, captures the singer in multiple states of motion within a single portrait. The resulting imagery by the rising South African photographer, who is based in London, reflects the unique mindsets of Eilish and Major, who is also a producer, as well as other members of Generation Z, who embrace—and even glorify—their identities as being constantly in flux.
MCM, a brand with a German heritage, undboutedly appeals to the 21st Century Global Nomad Generation. One reason is surely because it enables multitudes of personal expression, the central message in the campaign, through its revolutionised classic designs, futuristic materials and spirit.
Eilish and Major share the same genderless apparel and accessories, and through their styling, multiple forms of self-expression emerge. Shy or self-assured, masculine or feminine, urban or emo, classic or cool, old school or next gen, these qualities are dialed up or down to suit the stars’ identities in a given moment. His belt bag becomes her cross-body, or her parka becomes his tech vest, all in the space of just a few zips.
